
A Vanguard Sweep Account can be a game-changer for your money management. It automatically transfers excess funds from your investment accounts to a savings account, helping you avoid overspending and maintain a cash cushion.
This feature is particularly useful for those who want to keep their investments and cash separate, but still earn interest on their excess funds. By setting up a Vanguard Sweep Account, you can ensure that your investments are always fully funded and your savings are growing.
The Sweep Account can be set up to transfer funds at a specific threshold, such as $1,000 or $5,000, allowing you to maintain a comfortable cash balance while still investing for the future.
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Benefits
A Vanguard sweep account offers numerous benefits, making it a great option for investors.
With a Vanguard sweep account, you can automatically transfer excess cash into a money market fund, earning interest and growing your wealth over time.
This feature helps you avoid idle cash and put it to work for you, potentially increasing your returns.
The low fees associated with a Vanguard sweep account also save you money in the long run, allowing you to keep more of your hard-earned cash.
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Safer Investments
Having a solid emergency fund in place can help prevent bad financial decisions, such as borrowing money at high interest rates.
Borrowing money may seem like a quick fix, but it can come with steep costs, including interest, fees, and penalties.
Accessing cash through a reputable investment option, like a mutual fund, can provide a safer alternative.
For example, Vanguard mutual funds offer a range of options with low costs and minimal risk.
Investing in a mutual fund can provide a sense of security, knowing that your money is being managed by professionals.
Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information about a fund are contained in the prospectus, which you should read carefully before investing.
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Money Market Funds
Money Market Funds offer fixed income opportunities by investing in low-risk, short-term securities like Treasury bills. These funds are highly liquid, making it easy to access your money.
All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest.
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Security and Safety
Vanguard's round-the-clock security features ensure your money is protected like it's their own.
With extensive security measures in place, you can have peace of mind knowing your account is secure.
It Can Stop Impulsive Spending
It can stop impulsive spending by making you more aware of your finances. This is because you'll know exactly how much you have and how much you may still need to save.
You've heard the saying "out of sight, out of mind." That's the best way to store your emergency money in a separate account. This way, it won't be easily accessible for impulsive purchases.
Storing emergency money separately will help you avoid making unnecessary purchases on a whim.
Extensive Security
Vanguard protects your money with round-the-clock security features.
These features are in place to ensure your financial safety, just like you would protect your own valuables.
Vanguard's security measures are designed to safeguard your assets at all times, day and night.
This level of protection gives you peace of mind, knowing your money is secure.
Cost and Fees
Opening a Vanguard sweep account is a cost-effective way to manage your finances. You can open an account for $0.
One of the best things about Vanguard is that there's no minimum balance required. This means you can start investing without having to worry about a minimum amount.
You can also transfer money between Vanguard accounts, EBT, and ACH transactions for $0. This makes it easy to move money around and keep your finances organized.
Some transactions may have low fees, such as outgoing wire transfers. It's worth noting that these fees are not explicitly stated in the article, but rather a mention to "see the Vanguard brokerage and commission fee schedule" for more information.
Here's a quick rundown of the costs associated with a Vanguard sweep account:
- $0 to open an account.
- $0 minimum balance.
- $0 account service fees when you sign up for e-delivery.
- $0 to transfer money between Vanguard accounts, EBT (electronic bank transfers), and ACH (automated clearing house) transactions.
Comparison to Traditional Banks
In 2 years, you could've earned nearly $1,000 more with the Vanguard sweep program than with a traditional bank savings account. This is based on an estimate of total interest earned during the period May 24, 2022 through December 30, 2024.
The Vanguard Cash Plus bank sweep program's actual daily APY was 4.15%, while the average APY rate for Savings accounts was 0.46% during the same time period.
The difference in APYs is quite significant, and it's worth considering the level of risk associated with each product type before investing.
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How Does It Compare to Traditional Bank Savings?
Over the course of two years, you could've earned nearly $1,000 more with our bank sweep program than with a traditional bank savings account.
In fact, according to Vanguard and FDIC National Rates and Rate Caps, a $10,000 investment in our bank sweep program would have earned more interest than a traditional savings account during the period from May 24, 2022, through December 30, 2024.
The average APY rate for Savings accounts during this time was 0.46%, while our Cash Plus Account had an APY of 4.15%.
This significant difference in interest earned can add up over time, making our bank sweep program a more attractive option for those looking to grow their savings.
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Savings or Brokerage?
Vanguard Cash Deposit is not a traditional savings account, but rather an alternate option for your settlement fund within your brokerage account.
It's an FDIC-insured option, which means your deposits are insured up to $250,000.
The annual percentage yield (APY) on Vanguard Cash Deposit is variable and may change at any time.
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You can use it as a place to hold your cash for future trades or transactions, making it a convenient option for managing your brokerage account.
Vanguard Cash Deposit is not a high-yield savings account, but it does offer an APY, which is currently 0% as of the last update.
Opening and Management
To open a Vanguard Cash Plus Account, you'll need to provide some basic information, such as bank information, account objectives, employment status, and personal details for any joint account owners.
You can use the cash in your Vanguard Cash Deposit to place trades in your brokerage account, which is a great option if you want to keep your cash safe with FDIC insurance. This alternative settlement fund option is eligible for FDIC insurance up to $1.25 million for individual accounts and $2.5 million for joint accounts.
Here's a quick rundown of the key details you'll need to provide when opening a Vanguard Cash Plus Account:
- Bank information.
- Account objectives.
- Employment status.
- Personal information for any joint account owners.
How to Open

To open a Vanguard Cash Plus Account, you'll need to provide some basic information, including bank information, account objectives, employment status, and personal details for any joint account owners.
You'll likely have some of your information prefilled, but be prepared to fill in the gaps to complete the application process.
To get started, you'll need to provide your bank information, which will help Vanguard verify your account and link it to your Cash Plus Account.
You'll also need to specify your account objectives, which will help Vanguard understand how you plan to use your account.
In addition to this information, you'll also need to provide your employment status and any personal details required for joint account owners.
The good news is that Vanguard's online application process is designed to be user-friendly and efficient, making it easy to navigate and complete your application.
Here's a quick rundown of the information you'll need to provide:
- Bank information
- Account objectives
- Employment status
- Personal information for any joint account owners
Where to Store Your Emergency Fund
You should keep your emergency fund easily accessible, either in cash or cash equivalents, to cover unexpected expenses. This will help you avoid having to sell investments at a bad time.
Vanguard recommends keeping your emergency fund in a low-risk investment to earn more interest than a traditional savings account. You can consider cash investments, such as those offered by Vanguard.
Money market funds are a type of low-risk investment that can provide fixed income opportunities and invest in short-term securities like Treasury bills. They are highly liquid, making it easy to access your money.
Vanguard Cash Deposit is an alternative settlement fund option that allows you to use the cash in your account to place trades in your brokerage account. This means your cash is eligible for FDIC insurance.
The cash in your Vanguard Cash Deposit is eligible for FDIC coverage up to $1.25 million for individual accounts and $2.5 million for joint accounts. This provides an added layer of protection for your emergency fund.
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Automatic

Automatic features can make managing your investments much easier. With Vanguard, you can set up automatic dividend and interest sweeps into your Cash Plus account, allowing you to earn yield on your investment income.
This feature is especially useful for keeping your investment income organized and easily accessible.
Unique Features
The Vanguard Sweep Account is a game-changer for investors looking to optimize their cash flow and minimize fees.
One of its unique features is the ability to automatically transfer excess cash into a Vanguard money market fund, earning a competitive interest rate.
This feature allows investors to earn interest on their idle cash without having to manually transfer funds.
The Vanguard Sweep Account also offers a choice of two sweep options: a money market fund or a Vanguard Prime Money Market Fund.
With the Vanguard Sweep Account, investors can earn an average annual yield of 1.8% to 2.2% on their cash balances.
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This is significantly higher than what you'd get from a typical checking account, which often pays little to no interest.
The Vanguard Sweep Account is designed to work seamlessly with Vanguard's brokerage accounts, making it a great option for investors who already have a Vanguard account.
By automatically sweeping excess cash into a money market fund, investors can earn interest on their cash while keeping their investments liquid.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the interest rate for Vanguard bank sweep?
As of December 27, 2024, the Vanguard Cash Plus bank sweep offers a competitive APY of 3.90%. This rate is subject to change and may vary over time.
What are the cons of sweep accounts?
Sweep accounts can be complex to manage, especially when it comes to tracking investments like fixed deposits with varying interest rates and maturity dates
Sources
- https://investor.vanguard.com/accounts-plans/vanguard-cash-plus-account
- https://www.gobankingrates.com/investing/investing-reviews/vanguard-cash-plus-account/
- https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/vanguard-cash-deposit
- https://investor.vanguard.com/investor-resources-education/emergency-fund
- https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/where-to-store-your-money-302/
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